Choosing Sources for Both Sides
A 45-minute Grade 3 lesson on choosing sources that let a disagreement be heard rather than settled in advance.
Choosing Sources for Both Sides is a free 45-minute Grade 3 to Grade 5 social studies lesson plan for Common Core standard D1.5.3-5 — work out what kind of source would help, allowing for the fact that people disagree. It is timed across 5 sections, gives the exact wording to use where the wording carries the mathematics, names 3 misconceptions with the teaching move that addresses each, and ends with an exit ticket and a printable worksheet with its answer key.
- Grade:
- Grade 3 to Grade 5
- Length:
- 45 minutes
- Standard:
- D1.5.3-5
Grade 3 to Grade 5 · Developing Questions and Planning Inquiries
D1.5.3-5
Determine the kinds of sources that will be helpful in answering compelling and supporting questions, taking into consideration the different opinions people have about how to answer the questions.
Objective
Students will be able to choose a set of sources that represents more than one side of a disagreement.
Students are successful when they can
- Chooses a source for each side of a question.
- Says whose view each source carries.
- Explains why one source is not enough.
What you need
- All eight valley sources, laid out
- Two labelled trays: for the railway / against it
- The printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan
The lesson
Warm-up — one tray only
5 min- Hand out only the newspaper report and ask whether the railway was welcomed.
- Take the confident yes. Then produce the petition.
Teach — who speaks in each source
15 min- Read the newspaper's first lines. Ask whose interest it serves.
- Read the petition's first lines. Ask the same.
- Sort both into trays and say the rule: choose sources so more than one side can speak.
- Add the trade directory. Ask which tray. Neither, and that is useful.
- Add the 2015 history. Ask whether it is a side or a judgement on the sides.
- Name the failure: choosing only sources that agree with you is how an enquiry decides itself.
“If we only had this one, whose version would we end up telling?”
Guided practice — build a set
13 min- Groups pick three sources for 'was the railway welcomed in the valley?'
- They say whose view each one carries.
- Another group tries to show the set is one-sided.
Independent practice
9 min- Students complete the 'Sources for Both Sides' page.
- Watch for choices justified by content rather than by viewpoint.
Close
3 min- Agree the class's four-source set for the enquiry and pin it up.
What goes wrong, and why
Each of these is a reasoning error rather than carelessness. The fix addresses the reasoning.
Picks the source that agrees with their own view.
Why: It reads as the true one.
Fix: Ask which tray it goes in. If both picks land in one tray, the set has already decided.
Thinks a source with a viewpoint is unusable.
Why: Bias is taught as a fault.
Fix: The petition is one-sided and indispensable. Use it and say whose side it is.
Treats the modern history as the neutral one.
Why: It is recent and reads like a summary.
Fix: It makes a claim of its own. Show the sentence where it does.
If they are not there yet
- Four sources rather than eight, two clearly on each side.
- Give the tray and ask which source belongs in it.
If they finish early
- Name a view the eight sources do not represent at all.
- Say which source would change most if its author changed.
- Choose a set for a question about school, and defend it.
Exit ticket
Name two sources you would use to answer 'was the railway welcomed?' and say whose view each carries.
What to look for: Two sources from opposite trays, each with a viewpoint named. Two from one tray means the both-sides rule needs another run.
Printable practice for D1.5.3-5
Free to print and copy, answer key included. Each sheet can generate a fresh set of problems for a retake.
- Sources for Both SidesCircle the best source for each purpose.
Questions about Choosing Sources for Both Sides
How long does the Choosing Sources for Both Sides lesson take?
45 minutes, split across 5 timed sections: warm-up 5 min, teach 15 min, guided practice 13 min, independent practice 9 min, close 3 min. The minutes are stated per section and add up to the stated length, so the plan can be cut or extended at a section boundary rather than abandoned halfway.
Which standard does Choosing Sources for Both Sides teach?
D1.5.3-5 — D1.5.3-5, Developing Questions and Planning Inquiries for Grade 3 to Grade 5: “Determine the kinds of sources that will be helpful in answering compelling and supporting questions, taking into consideration the different opinions people have about how to answer the questions.” In plain terms, work out what kind of source would help, allowing for the fact that people disagree.
What do I need to teach this lesson?
All eight valley sources, laid out, two labelled trays: for the railway / against it and the printable practice sheet linked at the end of this plan. Everything listed is either ordinary classroom equipment or a free printable from this site — there is nothing to buy and nothing to prepare beyond photocopying.
What mistakes should I expect in this lesson?
Three, each a reasoning error rather than carelessness: picks the source that agrees with their own view; thinks a source with a viewpoint is unusable and treats the modern history as the neutral one. The plan gives the thinking behind each one and the teaching move that addresses the thinking rather than the symptom.
How do I know whether the lesson worked?
The exit ticket asks: “Name two sources you would use to answer 'was the railway welcomed?' and say whose view each carries.” Two sources from opposite trays, each with a viewpoint named. Two from one tray means the both-sides rule needs another run. That tells you whether the class needs a reteach or a thirty-second conversation before you plan tomorrow.
Is there a worksheet to go with Choosing Sources for Both Sides?
Yes — 1 printable D1.5.3-5 worksheet, linked at the end of the plan and free like the rest of the site. Each one comes with an answer key and 25 versions, so the practice after the lesson can be a different paper on every desk.
Is Choosing Sources for Both Sides free to use?
Yes. The plan, its printables and their answer keys are free to read, print and photocopy for your own class, with no account and no email capture. It was last reviewed on 7 September 2026. Please do not resell it or republish it as your own.
Last reviewed 2026-09-07. Aligned to D1.5.3-5 of the C3 Framework for Social Studies State Standards.